Ever wonder what STEM challenges to serve up to your students? Here is an amazing list of clever, unique and simple set up STEM lesson plans from other teachers. You’re going to love what your students come up with and the number of standards you can meet with these.
There is a range of grade level ideas K-5 in this list.
Think you could solve this Water Puddle Evaporation puzzle? You’ll love that there are 4 more easy stem activities for the end of the year including this outdoor one.
Drink up your experiment after you figure out How Hot is Hot? Chocolate with this temperature-based exploration activity.
What tools would work best to Create an Umbrella?
This Dr. Seuss themed Stack the Cat’s Hat uses cups – how easy is that!
I love this Plastic Egg Tower that uses leftover easter eggs and playdough. Engineering and oddball materials – just what the mind ordered.
Clever STEM Activities for Kids
Upper grade level students solve Real World Problems with Stem Activities like oil spills.
Can you make a Pristine Trampoline with a strainer and simple materials to bounce a ping pong ball?
This more involved building of Simple Machines will surely capture their attention as they try to make a snack machine!
Build a Computer Coding Game without a computer – perfect for helping superheros get to their destination.
What types of leftover Christmas supplies will make a quiet Christmas Jingle Bell?
Quick STEM Challenges
Making a Paper Plate Pinball Game looks like so much fun and an easy way to engage kids in STEM challenges.
Figure out the best way to drive a Magnet Powered Car if you explore concepts of magnetism with your students.
Index Card Science is part magic trick and part challenge – how can you fit through an index card. Be sure to have tons of index cards on hand!
Turn Christmas excitement and turn it into learning with these 4 Christmas Steam Task cards that use easy materials.
Easter Egg Towers are a no-set up STEM challenge for young students.
Super Simple Materials for STEM Lessons
If you’ve got rubber bands stored away, then keep Bungee Barbie from dying with this unique stem science challenge. Just pick a flight of stairs in your building to use.
Figure out how many drops of water can fit on a penny with Penny Drops – so quick and easy.
Beef up the magnet powered car activity listed above with this Make it Move challenge to race a car across one end of the table to the other.
Getting kids to complete a Paper Bag Mystery each day in a week sounds like the perfect set of sub plans if you ask me!
Unique STEM Lesson Plans
This fairy tale based Parachute Man challenge encourages students to find a way to help Jack escape the beanstalk by making a parachute for a Lego man.
Bring in your box fan from home to see what type of Paper Fliers can fly high, in circles or fit a requirement challenge of your choosing.
Determine how strong a single piece of paper is with Stem Shape columns to hold a stack of books.
Students create their own Lego Brain Puzzles to make a 10×10 square. Make sure they document the solution to their own puzzle before handing it over to someone else to solve!
Find out the value in STEM challenges with this Basketball Tower challenge using newspapers for third grade, fourth grade and fifth grade.
Free STEM Challenges Printables for the Classroom
Get students thinking on the challenge and preparing their experiment with free Lab Sheets to download.
Get lined paper, graph paper and more with these Stem Notebook Printables so you can make your own!
Get Role Cards along with lots of other free resources to get started making your stem lesson plans.
Make a Mini Journal to plan and execute stem construction projects with these free printables.
Now you’ve got tons of ideas to plug into your lesson plans – and most don’t require complicated materials. How great is that? You’re set to serve up creative, unique and simple STEM lesson plans in a snap.
More Science for Kids
- Clouds Science for Kids: 23 Smart Ideas for the Classroom
- 13 Frog Life Cycle Resources and Printables
- 21 Landforms for Kids Activities and Lesson Plans
- 19 Fun Ideas & Resources for Force and Motion
Leslie {aka the original Teach Junkie} loves learning new things to make teaching easier and more effective. She enjoys featuring creative classroom fun when she's not designing teacher shirts, making kindergarten lesson plans or planning her family's next trip to Disney World.